Bikers took over the town of Ft Hancock last night . . . that’s bicyclist’s. Twelve us overnight at the Ft Hancock Motel where there was no hot water for showers! It was quite a group. Our gang of six, two Brits, three Michiganders and one from Belgium.  Every group got a $5 discount because of the no hot water!!! Last night the owner told Gina not to drink the water (even though Margie did all night) and this morning she said it was OK to drink the water. I filled by bottles at Angie’s across the street.

Gina, Margie and I were at Angie’s by 6:30am having a great breakfast. Then we heard on the TV authorities found a decapitated body in South Padre last night!!!

The three of us headed out at 8:00am since we were ‘locked and loaded’! We were back along the border. This Farm’s description was no exaggeration as you could see ‘the fence’ right in his back yard.

Today would be an easy 74 mile day, mostly flat with a headwind in the afternoon. Plus we would have our own road for most of the way!!!

First we passed through Tommy’s Town and congratulated our TommyH on what a great place to have named after him . . .

. . . mmmmmmm looks like his town has fallen apart. Good thing he hasn’t as he rolls along the Southern Tier!!!

The first 25 miles were on what Texas calls a, Farm Road. Paved, no shoulder BUT really no traffic. Just a few pickups from local farms. You can see the tumbleweeds piled up along the fence line. Oh . . . those tumblin’ tumbleweeds.

Lots of different types of homes along the way. This one may have been delivered by Menards, from the back of a truck . . .

. . .these folks look like they are doing just fine. You can see ‘the fence’ running in the background.

What . . .  trouble ahead?  No, just Gina warning of a ‘Tinkle Timeout’.

The girls were ahead of me as I stopped to take photos. When they got to this point there was a mother and two young Rottweiler’s out in the road to greet them. They were not a problem. By the time I arrived,a few minutes later, the two pups were gone but mom was still in the ‘yard’, behind the fence, looking at me as I biked by . . . probably thinking, “This one looks a little meatier. . . where are the children!”.

Flash flood gauge in the foreground . . . it really must come gushing down from the watershed, at times.

After 25 miles we reached the interstate and took a break for a fashion show as two of our cowgirls made the rounds of the display racks trying things on. Good thing we were the only customers at the time!!!

I bought Moon pies for the three of us and you can see Gina’s reaction . . .

. . . they didn’t last long!!!

It was on to the interstate for about 3 miles before we came to the  . . .

. . . ‘frontage road’ that you can see from the wavy fog line might need a little repair.

But soon we came to a much smoother surface and rolled to our lunch spot, Sierra Blanca, twenty miles away. NO TRAFFIC! We think ‘the frontage road’ is the old highway the interstate replaced.

We did roll through a Border Patrol station. Lots of noise, lots of BP officers running around in olive drab uniforms, and many officers with leashed very excited Dobermans that are used to sniff vehicles for drugs or  ‘human cargo’. It really gave me a bad feeling in my stomach. I guess being in the Midwest I am isolated from these types of things.

We pulled into Sierra Blanco and literally took over the Subway at this gas station . . . Bikers in town!!! Here was part of the group ready to head out.

Our frontage road changed to the north side of the interstate highway and we would ride it until the last 8 miles before Van Horn, our home for the night. This entry way may double as a drainage ditch!!!

We no more got going when I stopped to talk to Adam, from Reno, Nevada, who has been on the road since last June. He is hiking the three primary trails in the US: the Appalachian, Continental Divide and the Pacific Crest, getting from one trial to the next on his bike that he has shipped to him. Nice young fellow. Does a half hour bird survey every morning of UC-Davis. Good luck in your travels, Adam!!!

Here was the staging area for the Border Patrol in this district. LOTS and LOTS of hardware.

Across the interstate I could see these two guys standing behind their van with the 4 way flashers going holding these two sign. Wish I had been closer to read them. Wonder if they said . . . NEED GAS. If so, sort of funny they would have pre-made signs!

I rolled up on Julie and Mark who camped in Ft Hancock last night near out motel. Great couple from Kent, England celebrating their 30th anniversary this summer. Tomorrow night they are overnighting in Kent, TX!!!

I had been admiring Mark’s wide brim hat the last couple of days and since it was not raining today took a close up shot. He said it’s made in the US. Good idea . . . really like the name of his helmet too!!!

As we biked along you could see more flash flood signs near the interstate. A five foot flood would just about hit the interstate surface!!!

The last 8 miles we were ,off the ‘frontage road’ and back, onto the interstate as we travel to Van Horn. You can see some of the gang on the entrance ramp.

I was in the middle of the pack and as I rolled along I could hear a vehicle hit the rumbles strips right behind me. Not sure if the guy driving fell a sleep, was on his cell phone or what but as he pulled back onto the roadway I could smell an INTENSE rubber burning smell. In another 100 feet, I suddenly had pieces of failed tire raining down on me from above. He obviously had crossed onto the rumbles strip and his tire disintegrated. I watched him stop about a half mile ahead . . . and then roll off onto the road again.

A mile down the road I could see him pulled over again into a shoulder pull off and as I rolled up on his truck I could see the tire was just about gone . . .

. . . not much left and I could see his running boards and rear quarter panel had been damaged and he had tire marks on the side of his truck bed.

As I rolled by his door he was on the phone, probably calling for help, and he smiled at me. I said, “A**h**le, You, almost F**ck**g killed me!”.  (sorry Mom). Seemed like the appropriate thing to say at the time!

Soon we were at the motel, which square footage wise, is probably has the smallest rooms where we have stayed. It was TommyH’s turn to be on the floor tonight and he decided to get his own room The girls are, all three, staying in one room. Smoochie . . . I will never comment about you being ‘messy again!

I seemed to have been carrying some extra gear the last week or so and checked with Linda and Margie to see if it was theirs. No. I thought I had brought along some of emJay’s gear from our biking closet by mistake. BUT . . . today I found out they were Gina’s!

Here she is ‘sheepishly’ admitting she put them In my bag to lighten hers!!!! FUN!!!! (She bought lemon cake tonight so all is good!!)

Tonight we all needed protein for the big day tomorrow, 94 miles and 2,250ft of climbing, so we headed to the local steak restaurant . . .

. . . I had a ‘healthy’ steak.

Funny sign on the way back to our motel. We shared the lemon cake that Gina had bought and yummy Tim chocolate chip cookies!!

Today  we passed into the Central Time Zone. . . . one day and an hour closer to my Smoochie!!!

We all seemed to be up late ‘taking care of business’ and morning came early. We wanted to get on the road early today because we had a big day. Looks like about 90 miles with several thousand feet of climbing. As I got my gear arranged, I went to move my bike outside and  . . . the back tire was flat!!! Dan had had one on his bike last night.

Wonder if the wire I found in the tire was a remnant of the tire explosion my friend with the pickup had. If it was . . .he had the last laugh!!

We are in the VERY western part of the Central Time Zone and it seemed like it took forever for the sun to come up. Once there was enough light to see by, we were on the road. Nice colors in the early AM as we left Van Horn.

We were up so early even the rest stops were still full of snoozing truckers!!!

The first twenty five miles was on a a continuation of our ‘frontage road’ we had most of yesterday. Soon it ran out at this service station and we were on the freeway again.

50% chance of rain today after 3:00pm so we are hoping to put some miles on before then. There had been some showers earlier in the morning and you can tell on the interstate by the volume of water in the rumble strips!!

Fifteen miles down the road we got to Kent, where we happily exited the interstate.

On the way to Fort Davis today we would climb up the the McDonald Observatory. The ACA maps designate VERY LIMITED support on this stretch but surprisingly the Observatory has a café. I guess maybe McDonald’s is trying to find a niche market.

The school at Plateau had obviously seen its hay day. Not much left. Seems to be a similar situation with many building in small towns of less than 4,000 population.

It’s dry out here in the bush!!!

Plenty of time to study the geology as we pedaled along on a gradual 3-5% uphill for the first part of this afternoon.

First signs of color we have seen in a long time along the roadway . . .

Looking for the little doggies . . .

Interesting gateway to this ranch . . .

Along this highway, the county or the stat,e has taken a lot of effort to make these elaborate walls and road pull offs . . out in the middle of nowhere!

This was one of many, many, I guess they were are some type of water controls structures, we biked by.

I think this driver may have fallen asleep while driving down the road. With a all the problems we have been having with goathead thorns, I didn’t venture off the road to see the result of the crash. Hope the car wasn’t still there!

This fella had a beautiful coat of fur. shhhhhhhhhhhh . . . just sleeping!!

Tom was at the start of our big climb up to McDonalds’ Observatory. We all watered up. As I road away, I notice my front tire was flat!! A quick tube change and I was on the way. Good thing tomorrow is a rest day, I have three tubes to patch!

Linda rides ahead on ahead and you can see two of thee many observatory’s located at the summit.

I pulled into the visitors center to learn  more about the whole mountain top. Very interesting!!! Wish we were camping here and could take in one of the evening programs.

Observatory domes where ever you turned!!!

Soon I was on the 12 mile descent to Ft Davis, our home for the next two nights. Here was a little road side park that I had a hard time determining what it was. All the signs had been removed. I was puzzled by all the effort put in to get to the ‘tower’.

Here was a neat way side rest area built right into the side of the mountain.

Just outside of town I came upon this ‘Deadman’s Curve’. It was very easy to see where how the vehicle had continued straight off the curve . . .

. . . and unfortunately three people perished. Drinking involved . . . who knows?

We pulled into the Ft Davis RV & Motel Park for our two night stay. Rest day tomorrow. We need it after our 90 mile day today, with over 4,100 ft of climbing, and the miles we have put on during the previous week.

Rest day today in Ft Davis and we need one. The last week has been some pretty big mile days and we need to let the steads out to pasture for a while. Going to be raining today, so good day to get caught up on email, laundry and all the little things that build up during the week.

This was our neighbor that we walked by, to and from, our way into town. Always open, with live snakes, even at 8:00pm,  but we never went in to visit.

However, we did make several stops at the Ice Cream caboose home of 33 different flavors. Not enough time to try them all.

Fort Davis is in the town of Fort Davis, a historical site run by the NPS. LOW ceiling today!

I was riding around town trying to find the post office and ran into this crew at the local coop. They were heading down to the Big Bend area for a little cycling adventure. Connie was jealously looking at the extra rack spot for hitchin’ a ride!!!

This was supposedly the best restaurant in town. We chose a Mexican and Vietnamese restaurant for our meals, so missed out. . . . maybe next time.

It was rated as having  . . . the ‘Best Bite’.

County courthouse . . . nice.

The local human society has these poster’s all over town and have a very active adoption program. The photos change weekly!

Everyone was still catching up on sleep and no one was in the breakfast room before 7:15am. It was raining . . .  HARD!!! Showers predicted for today with a high of 51. At launch time it was 45 degrees.

With the chilly weather and rain, I did not want a repeat of chilly feet so broke out the new Shimano shoes for their maiden ride . . .

. . . mmmmmm, breakfast, DONE, truck packed DONE . . .time to ride? Maybe not yet.

There was a group of architecture students, from Austin, on a weekend tour staying at our motel. I asked them for a photo,  and told them one of them may be the next Frank Lloyd Wright (from WI you know!)

We have seen this expression used in several of the last towns we’ve biked through. Must be a local saying!!!

Going to be  LOWWWWWWW ceiling today.

Here was a research botanical garden that would have been fun to stop at. It was not Open yet . . .and it was raining. Time to bike on!

This historical marker preserved all that was left of Manual Musquiz’s home from 1854. He finally abandoned it in 1865 because of too many ongoing raids by Indian’s.

After the rain we’ve had for the last two days, some of the dry stream are actually starting to flow. ‘Flash Flood Warnings’ today for the area we are traveling through!

I came around a corner and here was Margie do a little ‘road maintenance’. She was in good spirits and 5 minutes later we were both down the road.

We were QUICKLY loosing our ceiling . . .

But soon we were out on the open plains . . . wide open to the horizon for 360 degrees!

You hate to see a county line because it can many times mean a change in the highway construction. You can see the difference in the shoulder is like night and day. Back out into the lane of traffic because the shoulder was too rough.

Soon we were at our midpoint town for today, Alpine. Great little town that we all wished we had more time to spend in than just for lunch. GREAT murals . . .

. . . around town

. . . that were really well done!

Humorous little display at the hardware store for selling doggie coats.

At lunch, I read the local Alpine Times and saw that the Border Patrol also catches Mexicans coming across the border with drugs. Over $1.6 million in marijuana confiscated from illegals this week, carrying packs stuffed with 50 pounds of weed!

This area prides itself on having some of the ‘Darkest Skies’ in the US. They use it as and advertising gimmick!

So . . . I wonder if in a week or two, there will be a new cross and flowers located here for someone who didn’t make it. Speaking of not making it. As I rolled along I saw in the ditch a dead fawn that was being dined on by a turkey vulture . . . .

. . . about 2 miles down the road I saw a turkey vulture that had been hit evidently by a Toyota. This insignia is probably the last thing it saw!!!

The rain had been on and off all day . . . but in the last three miles before Marathon, our home for the night it stopped.!!!

Marathon is out in the middle of NOWHERE! Evidently it’s here because of a local cattle company. It’s probably either cattle or the railroad that settled many of these small towns.

We are staying at the Marathon Motel. A great little place on the edge of town. The rooms were not ready until 3:00pm so we sat out on their veranda trying off our gear, while Linda fixed her tire.

So here are my ‘new shoes’ after having ridden in them for a day on the road. They look broke in now. You might notice the little ‘extra’ I added for warmth. Plastic grocery bags. They work GREAT!

AFTER THOUGHTS:

While riding today I saw a couple of things that got me thinking  . . .  lot of time to think when you are on the bike for 5-8 hours a day.

I saw this set of tracks that went off the road and through the fence. Wondered if there might be crucifix there in a few weeks.

I have seen LOTS of crucifixes’ and memorials for those who have died on highways, for probably a variety of reasons . . . most likely alcohol related. This one hit home . . . a fellow bicyclist. The death was marked by a ‘ghost bike’, a national program promoting bike safety that puts out white painted bikes out where cyclists have died.

Rene was killed here in 2012. I stopped for quiet moment and walked around the area. Mounting up again, I headed towards Marathon. Simon and Garfunkel’s, ‘The Boxer’, was coming through my earbuds and as I pedaled along. I thought about what had happened to Rene and if there was any warning. Probably not. It brought to mind the death off our neighbors, Jan and Al, who were also killed in Texas last year when the driver of an 18 wheeler reached down for a Snickers bar and hit them, head on, while they were driving their Gold Wing. Probably no warning. Fate for Jan, Al and Rene? I don’t think so. It was their time.

Read bout Rene here.

Could I have been hit and killed by that pickup hitting the rumble strip and de-laminating his tire right next to me?? Sure. But also just as easily by one of the thousands of other cars that have driven by me seven feet away, at 70-80 miles and hour, or by the ‘heart issue’ I had a couple of years ago. It wasn’t my time.

One needs to be ready in your heart, your life and in your relationships . . . because you never know the time or the place.

As I slowly pedaled the last 3 miles into Marathon, the sky began to clear . . . blue sky, sun and warmth! By the time I reached Marathon, I was dry from the rain and warm enough, that if it had been any further, I would have needed to shed a layer.

So . . . so much to do in Marathon  the story will continue on into today!

We stayed at the Marathon Motel built in 1940 . . . still includes TV!

REALLY a nice adobe structure with lots of amenities.

The girls were resting up for big night on the town!

Our courtyard . . .

The owner was a very gregarious astro enthusiast who also lived next door and had his own telescope. Too cloudy for viewing but he gave a 9:00pm “Guide to the Stars’ presentation.

GREAT colors on the mountains as the sun was setting.

A lot of things are sort of ‘funky’ about this town.

We  tried to eat at the local steakhouse but there was a two hour wait . . .

. . . nice display of critters who gave their lives so other could eat!!!

We went down the street to Burro Billy’s . . .

where someone was SOOOO excited about her new bolo tie they wanted a photo taken!!!!

Here was the local bed and breakfast that was having a free concert in their solarium. So, of course ,we went over to check it out . . .

one entered through the hot house . . .

and here was the entertainment. FUN!!!!!   In bed by about 10:30pm. Late for us!!!!

This morning there was still more to explore . . . the hostel and the Gage Gardens.

Looking for the hostel, we came across this unusual monument . . .

I think the artist may have something against chickens!!!!!

We finally found the hostel. Stephan, the Belgian, had stayed there two nights ago and last night Julie and Mark, the Brits stayed overnight.

Structures all over the place . . .

one of the multi-room units . . .

. . . communal kitchen

bath and shower house, 20 minute limit!!!. . .

Kitchen and main house . . .

beehive  private room with a smaller version, right next door!

Funny . . .

an outdoor seating area made of bottles . . .

. . .  and a room made of meringue!

From the hostel we headed to the Gage Gardens owned by the hotel owner. Word has it he is a billionaire!

Reminded me of Madison!

Even a putting green. The grounds keepers said, “Come back in a month when everything is blooming!”.

As we were about to leave, Jim, Dwayne and Paul rolled in from Alpine where they had had a rest day.

9:00am on Sunday morning and Banjo Billy was set up outside the Meadow Café, picking and grinnin’!

This place, on our ride of of town, looked fun!

Today it was 58 miles to Sanderson, our home for the night. Flat and deserted desert, but with a really nice tailwind. It would be a great day of riding AND fast! Lot of 25mph miles!

Interesting roadside geology. Have not seen these types of vertical ‘ribbon’ rock formations before.

This deer leg on the road shoulder got me wondering where the rest of the deer was.

Here is an example of a de-laminated tire like the one I had a close encounter with the other day. A primary source of wire pieces that  cause flats for cyclists.

Texas has GREAT rest stops and picnic areas in the middle of nowhere. Even refuse cans, which WI abandoned a long time ago.

Bruce’s hot tub . . . bring your own towel.

We met Ralph and Jackie from Canada, who were heading west. They have been on the road for 14 months and  are heading to the west coast and then up to Seattle.

Here were Janet and Steve, from Seattle, heading west too . . .

. . . here they meet  Julie and Mark, for the first time. They have all been corresponding by email through their blogs and finally get to meet. East meets West! Lots of Southern Tier activity today!

Things are BIG in Texas, Big country, Big sky and long driveways. 18 miles of gravel driveway to get to this ranch!

As we rolled into Sanderson I saw this ad for the Budget Inn. Not sure who Marlene is  . . . but I guess sex sells!!!

Yes o’ ree Bob!

Sanderson . . . our home for the night!!!

Carving out this mountain for future town expansion . . . probably not. Sanderson has many For Sale and closed businesses just like many of the little towns we have been through.

Tonight we are staying at the Sanderson Motel which until very recently had been owned by Roy and Ruth, who also own the Outback Motel in Town.

Their daughter, Selena, is still doing some of the maintenance at the Sanderson Motel and here she is’mowing the grass’ in the old swimming pool!

We all had a nice chat with Selena, who moved here from Kansas City a year ago. Known locally as, ‘the hardest working woman in Sanderson’ we felt it only right to compare our muscles with her’s. Ahhhh . . . . . nobody stepped up to arm wrestle her!